James Sammataro is one of the top music industry attorneys. And like many music biz barristers, he's witnessing an alarming swell in copyright infringement lawsuits -- some of which are pretty questionable.
But even if a claim is flimsy, that doesn't mean an ill-educated jury won't award a multi-million dollar award to the litigating troll. Just ask Katy Perry or Pharrell.
"Certainly, we're in the age of copyright trolling," Sammataro flatly said.
So what's the solution?
In this edition of the Digital Music News Podcast, we set out to create a survival list for protecting yourself against an oncoming wave of copyright trolls. Because unfortunately, if you score a smash hit, you may also attract some serious litigation. There's even an old saying in the music industry: 'where there's a hit, there's a writ.'
But that doesn't mean you can't be prepared for a possible attack. "Part of the problem is that you don't have the lawyer sitting in the studio," Sammataro said.
But what if your lawyer was sitting next to you in the studio?